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You’d be mistaken for thinking Zakk Wylde had taken a moment for quiet contemplation with what might pass for another best-of collection, but Grimmest Hits is another new release from the prolific singer, solo artist and Ozzy guitarist. He also spends his summers as frontman of the excellent Zakk Sabbath – we’ll let you guess what their source material is.
There are occasional Sabbath notes here too. Seasons Of Falter opens like it might have appeared on Vol 4, before segueing into a woozy Alice In Chains motif. The Betrayal also has the Iommi ring to it, and an Ozzy-like vocal line, but with a guitar tone like Wylde’s, it’s sometimes hard to see past his influences.
That said, his love of country music is self-evident in the magical The Only Words. Which is not to deny BLS their own identity – their marriage of music styles is easy to take for granted, but hard to overlook.
